What’s Missing?

“The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave in.” -Henry Green

Do you curate your life – perhaps without even consciously realizing it? For the most part, we all do this, selecting those things that make sense to us and leaving out the rest. And while the substance of what’s there carries meaning, equally significant – perhaps even more so – is what’s missing. Absences and omissions can speak volumes. They can offer insight into many facets of our personalities and preferences, and they can even be a window into what we fear and keep at a distance. Taking stock of what isn’t there can be a great way to bolster your self-awareness.

GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ joined us back in 2020 to talk about their collaborative work. They spoke to us from a small farming community in Sweden nestled in a mountain range near the Norwegian border. They had lived there for five years at the time, making the conscious choice to live there rather than in a city. At the time, they were preparing work for a show dealing with aspects of immortality. Their contribution for this dealt with themes of conservation, including the subject of bog bodies. To learn more, listen to the complete interview. 

Louise P. Sloane spoke to us recently about her exhibit, Back to the Future: The Paintings of Louise P. Sloane, on view at Spanierman Modern until October 26. The retrospective show encompasses work from 1976 through 2022. Early in her career, Sloane used beeswax as an inexpensive binder for her paints, creating a melted mixture into which she would pour her pigments. She applied this to canvas stretched over mason board, or, when she was feeling impatient, she would paint directly on the mason board. These earlier works are represented among others in her current show. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

A few words to keep in your pocket

What are some of your omissions?

Outings

Join me at Cristin Tierney Gallery for work by Debbi Kenote.

Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.

More books to read

Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. McSweeney’s Issue 74 is now available.

Opportunities

The Summer Exhibition at Wassaic Project, open weekends from mid-May to mid-September, showcases 30-40 artists in Maxon Mills, a historic grain elevator offering unique challenges for displaying art. Visit the website for submission guidelines. Deadline is September 20.

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics and is currently faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has written seven books for artists, including Making it in the Art World. His seventh book, The Problems in the Art World: An Artist’s A-Z Action Guide, is available now.